Ekona

Real men have warning points I have none though, so I'm definitely not a real man

You must've been really excited about that, with your hand trembling when taking those pics Very unique, I have to say. I can't figure out if I like it or not, but it's definitely different How close a match to the Azure is the new leather? Looks pretty close to me, but cameras can be fickle things. I'd be tempted to ditch the blue mats for black ones though, they look OTT now you've got the seats done.

Might as well stop making the 2WD version now, no-one's going to buy it when this launches.

Does this mean the swear filter can go? Technically, if they can read or not read threads, then they can read or not read words. And some people might - or might not - want people to conform to not swearing. As such, we shouldn't have to conform to it? Or you could work on the basis that everyone on here is at least 17, and has probably heard some swearing in their life already so probably won't be offended

Yup, exactly how I did it. No issues at all, my buyer knew the situation and knew I'd already priced the car competitively, so really he couldn't haggle me on that at all. I was knocked down by less than 0.5%, which I was happy enough with. We walked into HSBC in the morning, he paid the finance company by CHAPS, then we went back to mine where he logged onto his interweb banking and transferred across the balance. Nice and simple, although CHAPS is same-day rather than instant, which meant he had a nervous 6 hours waiting for the finance company to confirm the payment else I wasn't letting him drive home in the car! In theory the buyer could just pay you all the money and then you settle with the finance company, but you'd have to be stupid to do that as you have no proof the seller will then pay the finance company. That said, that's how my mate Mark did it when he bought the VXR off me, but that was a little different.

You may not even be given a courtesy car, unless you specifically asked for one. You may even have to pay for the insurance on it.

I didn't see anything wrong with what Stevo said (spelling and punctuation aside ), which is odd for me... I can see his point. Why do people get so incredibly offended when it comes to racist abuse, yet sexual abuse is fair game? People on this board very often use the term 'gay' to describe something tacky, or naff, or crap. Or, they'll pretend to be gay in an attempt at a veiled insult to others. I know I'm definitely guilty of both here in the past. If you're gay, and there has to be some gay members on this board at the very least, then I wonder if you find that uncomfortable at all? I'm not sure I would as it takes a lot to get under my skin. To turn it around, if we then went down the race-related insults route, if someone calls me a honky white trash *****, I'll get much more upset about the ***** part than the race bit. But then I'm white, I'm the majority and my race has never really been persecuted, so I'd be more likely to just shrug it off. Why can we call someone an old b*stard quite happily, but not a black b*stard? One is ageist, one is racist, so both discriminatory; However, only one will get you hauled up before the courts. Discrimination, and how we feel about certain types, is a very tricky subject indeed.

So to take another tack then, should we consider removing any kind of aggravating side to any crime, and just judge it on the actual act itself? Burning someone in the face. Beating the crap out of someone. Killing your partner. Should it matter that it was because you don't like one religion, one sexuality, or that he was knobbing some bird behind your back? A crime is a crime. Sticks and stones. Ultimately, should it really matter?

Depends on what you want to see/do. The static stuff isn't that interesting tbh, just regular manufacturer gumpf you can see by walking in a showroom, but the cars going up and down the hill and the rally stage is where it's at for me. That's when you're down to the limits of the schedule, as you can guarantee the day you don't go is the day all the interesting cars and drivers are there! I did Sat/Sun back in 2008, a week after Lewis had won his first British GP and he went up the hill in the McLaren on the Sunday. Later that year he of course won the championship, and that moment now seems even more special. If I'd left on the Saturday, I'd never have seen it. Then again, if I'd just done the Sunday I'd have missed out on other stuff too. If you just want to soak up the atmosphere and have a relaxing time, I'd say go the Friday only as the Sat & Sun are absolutely heaving now. It's a victim of its own success, and personally speaking I wouldn't want to go somewhere where I'm queuing for an hour for a burger*. But then you miss all the good stuff... *Friends who went this year.

Caterham and Marussia need to sod off and die. Anyone miss them weekend? Me neither.

"Great Cars That Nobody Bought" "Right Car, Wrong Time" "Why Big Engines Are Not The Future, But Are Awesome Anyway"

Why would any manufacturer already involved (and very successful!) in other forms of motor racing join F1? They know how ridiculously expensive it is, they know that Ferrari get all the money regardless, they know that the rules are changing too often to guarantee success. Merc were okay because they already supplied engines, so their cost isn't actually that great, and they just bought a team anyway. Audi know they need a new LMP1 car every few years, it's part of the sport. In F1 they need one every other year, at a greater cost. Audis have never been about how fast they are for a good few years now, it's all about efficiency. All the Germans love DTM, that's their 'go fast' sport: F1 doesn't even register on their commercial radar. If Audi, BMW, or Toyota enter F1 in the next 5 years, I'll donate £20 to a charity of Pete's choice. Not picking on him at all, he's just the last person to post on this subject

^^^This.

I did that. Once. When I was 11 and sat on my Dad's lap whilst 'driving' his Transit.

Two grand is mates rates

Audi will not enter F1. They've no need, as they have no direct links for their road cars. They're all about the diesels these days.

You're after the Heists, still not implemented a full year after the game came out! I'm not sure we'll ever see them, sadly.

Either write off the cost, or make sure you can put it back to stock. I've done both options in the past (911 and 350Z respectively).

The only cars I've ever 'owned' have been my MX5 and MR2 track slags!

I hate it when people multiquote to reply to posts as it looks like an argument for the sake of it, but I don't mean that here: It's just purely for ease, promise Seems like an average deposit to me, no probs there bud. It depends. If the car is worth (i.e. what you can sell it to Joe Bloggs or a dealer for) £15K, and the PCP is £12K, then in theory you have £3K equity. You can use that to either be a £3K deposit on a new car from a dealer, or sell the car privately and pocket that £3K. If the car is only worth £12K then you have zero equity. This is exactly what the finance companies are after, as it means they got their sums right. In this case, you then need to find more deposit for a new car, or just hand the car back and walk away. At this point, you've pretty much lost everything. If the car is worth £10K but the PCP is still £12K, you're laughing. At this point you've 'gained' £2K on the deal, so you definitely want to be handing the car back at this point! Alternatively, you might want to haggle with the finance company as they don't want to be stuck with a car worth less than is owing on it, so you might be able to get it for, say, £11K. However, in this situation nobody, not a private seller nor a dealer, is going to touch your car. If you want shot to someone else, you'll have to find the extra. This is the situation you're in throughout the loan period, though. I did the first bit with my 911 a couple of months ago. Finance company saw their money, I came out with a few grand in my pocket, and my buyer got a bargain. Don't mistake 'dealer' for 'finance company': They're two different entities. I bought my car from Porsche, but the financing was with VAG directly and they would've had the car back at the end, not Porsche. Actually, it would've gone straight to auction like my brother's Cayman R did when he cancelled his agreement, but I digress. People just want a new car. They don't care how they get it, even if it's financially disastrous for them ( ), as long as it's new. It's a stupid thing to do as the depreciation curve is ridiculous, but there is NOTHING like the feeling you get driving a brand-new car. Ever. Yes, you have other potential benefits like a warranty, and possibly free servicing, and maybe even a more fuel-efficient car, but the depreciation cancels all that out and more usually. Unless you're buying something like a P1 or a GT3 and you get instant appreciation, that is! In terms of ultimate common sense, buying a 370ZN on finance is daft. It's a car that isn't really loved, the styling divides opinion, it's not the star performer in this sector, it's thirsty and doesn't make a nice noise, and the interior isn't particularly great. And yet, none of that matters at all as we don't buy sports cars because they're sensible, we buy them because they're fun and they make us feel good, so if you can afford the finance and know what you're getting yourself into then I say go for it, as cars are a passion and if you love the 370ZN then that's all that matters! If I can ever get a drive sorted on one, I could well end up in one too, despite me knowing it's a stupid thing to do!

It's not quite that simple. Unless you've spent your time saving, you'll have no deposit for a new car so you need to find that. Ah, but I can use the equity in the car as a deposit! Yeah, if you have any: Finance people don't get rich by making errors like how much a car will be worth after 3-4 years... You could end up with a couple of grand equity, but equally you could end up with nothing if the market crashes or you picked a car that nobody else wants (a pink diesel Focus is going to be hard to shift!). Or you might go to a different manufacturer as you want one of their cars instead, and suddenly your equity is gone as they won't give you what you need to clear the finance, so you have to hand the car back and start again. PCP only really works when you have a LOT of spare cash you don't mind losing, or if you know you can save enough to cover the PCP at the end. Don't get me wrong, that's how I've financed some cars in the past and I lost a load, but it was totally worth the experience and I could afford to do it. If you know you're never going to pay the PCP figure off at the end, and you never have any intention of doing so, there's an argument that says you might just as well get a lease instead. Cheaper, less risk, guaranteed end dates etc. Just my two cents, anyway. Not trying to lecture anyone as I've done the exact same thing and it was awesome, but there are pitfalls to be aware of.

Why would I want to? I tried it when it first opened up, and it was full of griefers. I'd much rather spend some time mucking around at my own pace in the SP game than put up with kids who find it funny to shoot rockets at you the second you respawn, when all you want to do is try new stuff and maybe some races. Maybe I'll give it a go this time round now it's a bit more full-featured, but they still don't have the heists so I'm not sure there's a lot there for me personally to enjoy.

Oh wonderful, I just love it when people install stuff like that...! Does my nut it. Why on earth some guys don't think about repair work rather than just how easy they can make life for themselves, I'll never know.

I don't play it online anyway

Ultimately any used car is a risk. Personally I'd casually ask the previous owner what fuel they used, and depending on their reply I would walk. If buying from a garage you don't have that luxury, so you just make sure that everything else on the car is fine and go for it. I don't think you're worrying over nothing at all, your concerns are definitely valid, but as there's nothing you can realistically do I say just take a gamble and enjoy a great car.